Lacy Cooper
Republican | Arizona
Candidate Profile
Conservative (Conditional)
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Lacy Cooper
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
Primary
Race
Attorney General
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
The University of Texas School of Law, Austin, J.D., 2005
Texas A&M University, College Station, B.A., 2002
WORK & MILITARY
United States Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona, Border Security Section Chief/ Anti-Gang Coordinator/ Government Ethics Officer, 2013 to 2021
Gila County Attorney's Office, Deputy Gila County Attorney - Senior, 2006 to 2013
Schmitt Schneck Even & Williams, Of Counsel, 2021 to present
AFFILIATIONS
Christian Legal Society - Phoenix Chapter, Secretary, 1MISSION
Board Member, Scottsdale Bible Church and other churches since childhood, Choir Member and various other service and leadership roles
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Maricopa County Attorney Interim Appointment, 2019
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (1)
Regina Cobb
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (5)
Lisa Graham Keegan, former Superintendent of Public Instruction and School Choice Pioneer
Daisy Flores, former Gila County Attorney
Matt Smith, Mohave County Attorney
Scott Bennett, Graham County Attorney
Regina Cobb, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee for the Arizona House of Representatives
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (3)
Eric Sloan (2018)
John Kasich (2016)
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations (2022)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Matt Gress (2022)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
As Attorney General, I would defend any laws passed by the Arizona legislature on this issue as long as those laws did not violate the Arizona or the United States Constitution. Personally, I believe a pregnancy should not be terminated unless necessary to save the life of the mother.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Disagree
As Attorney General, I would defend any laws passed by the Arizona legislature on this issue as long as those laws did not violate the Arizona or the United States Constitution. Personally, I support palliative care at the end of a life.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Disagree
I would follow United States Supreme Court precedent on this issue.
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
According to the United States Supreme Court, there are very limited circumstances under which the government would be justified in restricting activities in churches. The First Amendment provides incredibly broad protections over our freedom to worship.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
As a federal prosecutor, I personally investigated and prosecuted terrorists and terrorist sympathizers, including individuals who wanted to fight for radical Islamic terrorist organizations. The FBI needs to redirect its resources toward identifying and capturing terrorists residing in our country. We also need to secure our southern border to prevent terrorists from sneaking into the United States from Mexico.
I support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied territories, remove the separation barrier in the West Bank, allow full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees.
Disagree
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D)Tax-payer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be de-funded.
Because health care is a power reserved to the states under the United States Constitution, I believe the states should be navigating these waters, not the federal government.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
According to the United States Supreme Court, health care, including vaccination requirements, is a police power reserved to the states. Therefore, state legislatures may decide whether their residents need to be vaccinated or not. However, any vaccine mandate must provide appropriate exemptions and comply with Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
As Attorney General, I would defend any tax laws passed by the Arizona legislature as long as those laws did not violate the Arizona or the United States Constitution. Personally, I support a flat tax.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
I oppose the federal government spending money on areas over which it has not been given any enumerated powers under the United States Constitution, such as education.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Strongly Disagree
As Attorney General, I would defend any laws passed by the Arizona legislature on this issue as long as those laws did not violate the Arizona or the United States Constitution. Personally, I believe college is not the right path for many Americans. Therefore, college should not be free because such a policy would only benefit some individuals, not all.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
I was the Border Security Section Chief for the U.S. Attorney's Office where I worked to secure the southern border. The cartels control the border on the Mexican side, and they are violent terrorist organizations. The amount of fentanyl coming across the border doubled last year, and fentanyl is now the number one killer of young Americans. There are migrants sneaking across the border who are violent felons or appear on terrorism watch lists. We must secure the southern border.
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Our country prospers when individuals lawfully immigrate to our country to work, pay taxes, raise families, and become productive members of the community. I believe states should play a greater role in deciding which market sectors would benefit most from immigrant labor, and immigrants should be selected for admittance into the U.S. based on their ability to fill a specified labor shortage.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Agree
As Attorney General, I would defend any laws passed by the Arizona legislature on this issue as long as those laws did not violate the Arizona or the United States Constitution. Personally, I believe we need to ensure we provide a meaningful choice for all students and their parents. In Arizona, that means educating parents on all of their school options and solving the school transportation issue around the state.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.
Strongly Agree
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Disagree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
The Second Amendment is incredibly broad but not without some limitation. For example, I believe gun laws that prohibit firearm possession by an individual who has been found by a psychiatrist to have a mental health condition that makes him/her a danger to self or others are constitutionally defensible.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
The role of government is to create a framework within which free citizens and their families can live, work, play and worship with minimal government interference.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Conservative
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
https://azpbs.org/horizon/2022/05/election-2022-debates-republican-candidates-for-arizona-attorney-general/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2021/05/12/joe-biden-border-crisis-deportation-standards-safety-violent-felons-column/5025650001/?gnt-cfr=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN871GzJ00w https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/nov/30/what-needs-to-be-done-to-stop-the-humanitarian-cri/ https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2021/07/23/we_wont_be_safe_from_cartels_until_holes_in_the_border_are_closed_786657.html
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
No
What else would you like voters to know about you, including your legislative priorities?
Border security is the number one issue facing our state and our country today. Border security is national security. I have the experience necessary to begin securing our southern border on day one.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Neutral
I believe the locus of power in our lives lies first with the individual and family, then with the church and community, and only then with local and state government. The federal government should not act unless given express power to do so under the United States Constitution.
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Disagree
As Attorney General, I would defend any laws passed by the Arizona legislature on this issue as long as those laws did not violate the Arizona or the United States Constitution. Personally, I believe transgender individuals are adequately protected under existing laws.
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition
Neutral
As Attorney General, I would defend any laws passed by the Arizona legislature on this issue as long as those laws did not violate the Arizona or the United States Constitution. Personally, I believe the Biblical definition of marriage (one man, one woman) persists no matter how government chooses to define a legal union between two people.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a follower of Jesus.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
As Attorney General, I would defend any laws passed by the Arizona legislature on this issue as long as those laws did not violate the Arizona or the United States Constitution.
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
As Attorney General, I would defend any laws passed by the Arizona legislature on this issue as long as those laws did not violate the Arizona or the United States Constitution. Personally, I believe all voters should have to provide proof of citizenship and residency in their state in order to vote. Moreover, each state should have policies and practices in place to clean up the voter rolls and purge any voters who have died, moved, or otherwise become disqualified to vote in the state.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
All hate crimes motivated by race, sex, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I have personally prosecuted a group of white supremacists and obtained a maximum prison sentence for the leader. Racism is evil, but it is not a threat to our overall domestic security.
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Disagree
As Attorney General, I would defend any laws passed by the Arizona legislature on this issue as long as those laws did not violate the Arizona or the United States Constitution.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Which comes closest to your view? A) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. B) Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost.
As Attorney General, I would defend any laws passed by the Arizona legislature on this issue as long as those laws did not violate the Arizona or the United States Constitution. Personally, I believe Biden's energy policies have done incredible damage to our economy in a very short amount of time.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Agree
